Marti Talbott

It was to Essen MacKinnon that the old man told the secret of the golden sword, but knowing it truly existed was one thing -- finding it was something else again. Patches MacGreagor's biggest worry was Brevie's warning that a man would marry her just to improve his chances of becoming the clan's next laird, but then someone murdered Brevie. Who killed her and now, how would Patches ever know which man Brevie was talking about?

BETHIA -- Bethia's heart was broken. Hannish, the man she loved, chose another and to avoid seeing them together she fled to her beloved aunt in England. But when she came back two years later she found the MacGreagor home she grew up in deserted and the village burned to the ground. Now she had no where to go, she was injured and two Englishmen were chasing her. To her amazement, it was Hannish who came to her rescue. Scotland offered her sanctuary, but did she come back too late for love?ALISON -- As hard as she tried not to, Alison was falling in love with Ben, a man who loved animals as much as she did. But Comine MacDuff wanted a wife and once he saw Alison, he was certain she was the one. He was also certain the MacGreagor giants would never let her go. Kidnapping her was the only answer, but finding her alone and within his reach was impossible. Then one night his luck finally changed.KADICK - Abandoned by her mother at birth, Kadick was different. She had a birthmark on one side of her face that some believed was a curse. Shunned by the men in the MacGreagor clan she was determined to seek a husband in England. For Laird Neil MacGreagor and several unmarried men in want of wives, going with her offered adventure. Yet in a world full of strangers who feared her, could finding acceptance and love for the delightful Kadick lead to more heartache? GLORIE - As a willing English bride, Glorie agreed to leave her home and go with the MacGreagors to Scotland. At first she was smitten with Moan, but Burk had other ideas. Yet love would not come easy - neither spoke the other's language. Glorie was also headstrong and had her own ideas of how things should be done. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before she managed to put her chances for marriage in danger by enraging Neil.

TARA - Laird Neil MacGreagor's bride was not happy in her marriage. She tried everything to compensate including turning her attention to making sure the fun loving Taral didn't marry the wrong man. But before Taral could have a proper wedding, affairs of the heart had to be set aside for a far more dangerous concern - a concern that threatened the survival of the entire clan. RALIN - He wanted nothing more than to die, but six months after he lost his beloved Kindel, Walrick found himself in a new land with people who wanted him to become their laird. After years of living next to a threatening neighbor, the extreme loss of life from the plague made the MacGreagors more vulnerable and falling in love much more difficult for Ralin. Would Neil find a way to save his people and would Walrick accept a challenge to lead the other clan? STEPPEN - Laird Neil MacGreagor did the best he could to save their lives, but now the MacGreagors were without a homeland. Then three different rumors began to circulate -- one started by the MacDonalds, one by the Fergusons and one by someone in the north. With Neil's son in Steppen's charge, she had no place to go and no one to turn to. She'd loved Walrick all her life, but could she ever forgive him for not coming back? EDANA - A new home meant new problems -- which laird would they follow, where would they build new cottages and how could Walrick marry Steppen when Neil forgot to bring the priest? Slade MacGreagor had problems of his own. Attempting to locate his clan in an unfamiliar land, he happened upon nine sisters who desperately needed his help.SLAVA - Slava had a secret and once she told her sister, Charlotte, all nine sisters decided to leave -- even the betrothed Edana. Jessup was ready to throttle a reluctant Lucas, Taral was growing fonder of Geddes and Walrick finally had his priest. But when the sisters left, so did the singing and the hopes of several unmarried men. Would the sisters ever want to come back and if so, would the MacGreagors have to fight another clan to get them?

Against her will, Lady Deora Medwin was betrothed to a powerful but disgusting man. She did not doubt her father loved her dearly, but how could he do such a thing? Deora saw only one option -- RUN He was the Highlander, Laird Justin MacGreagor, and when he received 'the word' in a message, he was perplexed as well as alarmed. It was a secret word known only to the MacGreagor lairds and the English kings, but the last king to have it was dead. Who had it now and why was Justin being summoned?

In 1746. eight-year-old Colleen Stuart was more than ten-year-old Jonathan Rodes' playmate -- she was his best friend. She could do anything a boy could do and best of all, she could play jokes on the adults without getting caught. Jonathan assumed they would always be together, but no sooner had his father told him the secret of the jewels, than his world collapsed. The King's men executed his father, his ailing mother died and he found himself painfully separated from Colleen.For years he remembered his promise to find her, but it seemed hopeless until one day an odd letter arrived.

The beautiful Hester Wyley was gone.By the time John Carson returned from fighting in the American Revolution, the woman he pledged to marry discovered her first husband was still alive and went back to South Carolina.So John set his heart on claiming a homestead west of the Mountains. It was in the Kentucky Territory that the delightful Quaker, Polly Lewis, captivated his heart and to her he also gave his pledge. But when he returned to Virginia, Hester was back, truly widowed this time and just as beautiful as he remembered.

Marti Talbott's Highlander Series is a collection of short stories about the Scottish MacGreagor Clan in the 12th century. It all began with --ANNA -- In love with a woman he had only seen once and could not find, the Highlander, Kevin MacGreagor was growing older and needed a wife to give him sons. No other woman pleased him, even the daughters of other lairds, so he finally settled for Anna sight unseen. But when his men went to meet her guard, she was all alone and badly beaten. Who could have done such a thing and why? RACHEL -- had a dark secret and even she didn't know what it was. She was seventeen, determined to become as good a warrior as any Highlander and was firmly against taking a husband. Connor had other ideas. He loved Rachel and when a rival clan took her, he thought he would lose his mind. How would he ever get her back and if he did, would her dark secret separate them forever?CHARLET -- The King of England asked the Highlander, Kevin MacGreagor, to hide a baby girl and save her life. But sixteen years later, someone discovered where she was. To Blair Cameron fell the duty of hiding and protecting Charlet. It was not an easy task. She was furious, head-strong and determined to run from him. Could Blair keep her alive? And if he did, could he keep himself from falling in love with her?